Leaves Gone, Book Sorting & The Glad Game

It’s a cloudy, gray morning. Here’s hoping the sun will make an appearance later in the day. This industrial stool has made an appearance in countless photos on this blog. I will often use it to stage a photo of a new piece of pottery. I suppose I love the combination of the worn wood and the bricks on the chimney.

Right now, with the move of the loveseat into the middle of the room, it’s functioning as a side table. The pottery is Russel Wright, the wood block print is vintage. I can’t remember where we found it, but we’ve had it for many years.

A familiar sight around these parts: McCoy pottery and bakelite.

I was sitting in the den this morning talking to Don and I noticed that one of the braces for the bookshelves was askew. After investigating, Don and I realized that the wood shelf is slightly bowed. That happens with pine, with any wood, actually. So we took the books off that shelf and rearranged things so the distribution of weight was more even.

And then I started sorting through the books. Which, after I’m finished with this post, will lead me into the bedroom, where I will continue to sort books and put aside any that I don’t need. I was wondering what I would do with the day – now I know.

Yesterday was unbelievably windy – all day long. And now the leaves are off most of the trees. It’s shocking. Yes, there are trees around here that are still in full color mode, but many are bare. In our case, our sugar maples seem to shed their leaves first, and the catalpa leaves shrivel up when we have frost of any kind, the trees surrounding the house are now bare. Sob.

I really, really, really hate to say goodbye to the leaves. The positive is that we have very little to rake at this point and we won’t need to clean out the gutters.

My feeble attempt at The Glad Game. Remember Pollyanna? I think I’m going to be on the lookout for a vintage copy of Pollyanna. I love that story.

Comments

I understand how you feel about the and the end of the growing season and the trees going bare. I have learned to appreciate November for the beautiful skies, the cool temps and the holiday preparations. I enjoy December, but come January I turn morose over the extreme cold and the darkness.

Hi Claudia. Cold and rainy here in Western Australia the other day and my grandsons (10 and 6) were here for a while. I pulled out our copy of Pollyanna and put it on for them to watch. They were enchanted. 10 year old was horrified when she fell out of the tree! It’s a gorgeous movie and I think Haley Mills was a great little actress. So natural and love the faces she pulls. I adore the movie with the gorgeous clothes and beautiful buildings. It’s one of my favourites. Xxx love from Julie in Australia.

It was 70* here yesterday so we went outside and finished dumping and cleaning up all of the pots, put away the statuary, and rearranged the deck boxes and storage sheds. We haven’t really had a hard frost yet, so some plants were hanging on, but so spindly and tired. Beyond that, the thought of doing it all when it finally did freeze ~ and it would be in the 30’s or 40’s moved us along. Glad it is done ~~ and sad it is done. sigh.

Sunny day today but much cooler. We still have most of our leaves and the maples really haven’t turned color yet. Crazy year. Have a good Monday and have fun going through your books!!

I just walked the property – one of the Ash trees still has leaves and all of the Oaks do, too. But the maples, catalpas, black walnut and shag hickory trees are all bare. It’s strange that you still have leaves and we don’t!

I agree! I went on a road trip up to LaCrosse last Friday with some friends and we were anticipating some beautiful color. All we saw were browns and some yellow. Spoke with a farmer over the weekend and he said our lack of color (and leaves still on the trees) was because we have not had a freeze or even a hard frost so far. Every year is so different!!

The Glad Game…haven’t heard that one in ages! I read Chris K’s comment….I agree about the color. We still have quite a few leaves…and no frost or hard freeze here either. I heard we weren’t going to get one til November 1st or later…so unusual! I’ve yet to empty my pots out front…they are still looking really good and the geraniums are blooming like crazy. I’m trying to enjoy this mild fall….because I just heard the other day what’s coming. We’re going to have to pay for this! ;)

We still have leaves but they are falling a bit more each week. We don’t have the spectacular colors you have unless we head to the mountains! The weather has cooled off some and at least it is starting to feel like fall. I adopted a new kitty over the weekend. She is 3 yrs old and very sweet. Tiger helped me pick her out. I’ll do a post on her later this week. I’ll email you some photos. I’m glad to have her but it also makes me miss Charlie even more. Hugs.

Pollyanna was one of the books I donated in a purge a few years ago, and of course, now I regret letting go of it. What was I thinking?! (It was paperback; maybe that was my reasoning.) I must read it again, and will probably get it from the library. Leaves are gorgeous, but I do enjoy the stark bones of the trees, too. In the winter I study their shapes and contortions. That’s also the time one can discover all the nests. Keep playing the Glad Game! It’s good for us, I think. Blessings, Bess

Here in Ct the colors were beautiful this year. More red than we have had in the last few years.! I have been having trouble leaving you a reply (darn internet service) but the guitars yesterday were beautiful. So much talent!

It’s supposed to be the opposite here in California of what Donnamae says…we’ll be in winter drought most likely, even if there is the occasional rainstorm. We’re hoping for wet snow in the mountains so Spring melt can fill the reservoirs. Four years running, but water conservation is like a lifestyle now. My neighbors down the street just had their lawn removed this morning. Drought-tolerant plants going in.

I just got home from bringing a carload of clothes and garden tools to Goodwill. Purging has filled my life the past couple of years, with cleaning out my late Uncle’s house, and then purging at home for room to place Uncle’s furniture I’m keeping.

Phew! Just finished moving around furniture between living room and family room. I hated to split up my sofa and love seat set, but this is a better arrangement, especially with my Uncle’s side tables. I couldn’t let them go to a donation facility. They aren’t quite as old as your lovely table by the window, but they are at least 70+ years old. Ooh, rain started, and lots of wind.

It always makes me sad every year to see the trees all go bare. Winter lasts several months here. I hunker down and hibernate, enjoying some aspects of it. I’m one that just loves the beauty of a fresh snowfall. And so I look forward to that….
Pollyanna, such a good book. I recently watched the movie with my granddaughter and she loved it. Her name is Haley too. I was pleasantly surprised when she was born and her parents named her Haley, as I always loved that name as a child, ever since I knew of the actress, Hayley Mills. I believe that is how her name is spelled. I’ve found there are so many different spellings of the name Haley.

Very windy here today but we still have oodles of leaves – and we don’t seem to be near peak yet. Since we really didn’t get a frost until early October, I guess that’s about on schedule. Anyway I hope we don’t peak until Halloween or even after – the longer Fall [and Fall color] sticks around, the happier I am.

PS – this weekend I finally realized who Don reminds me of. I saw a news item that the 60s activist [& Jane Fonda’s ex-husband] Tom Hayden passed away a6 76. And it struck me how much Don looks like him! If they ever make a movie of his life, Don SHOULD be a shoo-in for that role – they could be brothers [Tom the older one].

I finally found a copy of “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and illustrated by Tasha Tudor. I have had the copy of “A Little Princess ” by Frances Hodgson Burnett and illustrated by Tasha Tudor for a few years. Had been looking for a long time. Now they are on my bedside table. Got my fingers crossed you find an excellent edition of “Pollyanna”. The hunt can be so much fun!

Pollyanna is my most favorite movie from my childhood…I also remember reading the book but don’t remember if it was mine or from the library…My favorite part is when she hung all of the prisms in the windows to make rainbows!..how I wished I could do that…

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband and dog. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating. My decorating style is eclectic but if I had to call it anything, I'd call it Christmas in Connecticut, after all those forties movies with comfy cottage style.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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